Vulnerable
by rgs38
Summary: Vulnerable isn't something that Jules is good at but sometimes circumstances force a change and Wordy sees something that the rest of the team can't. Not my greatest story but my first one with Jules as a feature so be gentle.
1. Chapter 1

Vulnerable

_I've written twenty Flashpoint stories over the past few months and no Jules stories. I feel like I'm lacking without writing something about her. I've never really liked writing Jules or really reading fics about her for a lot of reasons, but mostly because in most of them she's either falling all over Sam or she's somehow become the damsel in distress; something I definitely don't see as her being in character. So enough of that rant, tell me what you think. Like I said, I've never written Jules so please give me feedback. I don't own Flashpoint._

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><p>It shouldn't have happened that way. She couldn't believe that it had happened. If the ugly bruise hadn't colored her face than she might not actually believe that it even happened. She was a member of the SRU, the most elite tactical team the Toronto police force had to offer, and she somehow let that happen. She shook her head a bit but felt the pounding behind her eyes and quickly stopped the motion. She had been sitting in her jeep for a few minutes in the parking garage of the SRU trying to get out and start her day but she seemed paralyzed by the memory, the anxiety that she was trying to crush down and ignore.<p>

It was a truly stupid move; she didn't even know why she'd agreed and played along with her friend. Her neighbor had been trying for months to set her up with some friend of a friend's cousin's coworker or something of the sort. She didn't even know anymore but somehow she caved and agreed to a blind date. She really wasn't interested in dating again. Her last serious boyfriend had been Steve and even though he was perfect to her in every way she just knew that it wouldn't work. She would never admit it (even to herself on most days) but she still wanted Sam. She still couldn't deny her feelings for him, she just couldn't afford to put him over her job right now. She knew that any new relationship wouldn't work but she was just sick of making up excuses, and had agreed on one date. One dinner, she didn't think it could hurt and at least she would get her friend off her back.

Ed's truck pulled into the parking lot and Jules knew that she couldn't sit in her car any longer. She took a few breaths to calm herself before grabbing her bag and getting out of the car, walking quickly towards the building. She had a strong stride and a confident demeanor. Some people thought that she bordered on being cocky but she almost had to be in order to gain and maintain the respect of her peers in her cutthroat position. No one expected her to make it and, honestly, there were always at least thirty other eyes on her at all times, waiting for her to fail. Jules had proven herself to her team, it was the rest of the police force that sometimes had difficulty seeing her superior skills.

"Hey Jules," Spike called from the gym as she passed by. He, Sam, and Wordy were already working out and by the sounds of it when she came in, were in the middle of a heated conversation. She turned and looked towards Spike as he continued to lift weights with Sam spotting him, neither of them looking up as he spoke. "In your honest and impartial opinion," Spike began as Jules let a slight smile slip. "Do the ladies go for blonds over the darker follicled folk?" She couldn't help but let out a laugh as Spike finished his set and sat up.

"I don't know Spike, to each is own I guess." She shook her head again before turning to the locker room, almost forgetting about the bruise running down her face.

"Jules," She heard the change of tone in Spike's voice before she realized what he was thinking. Wordy and Sam had stopped their workouts also when they saw Spike's look of concern and turned toward's Jules. "What happened to your face?" He asked with his jaw dropped a bit. She rolled her eyes and spoke easily.

"Thanks Spike, that's really a good thing to say to a girl." She tried to lighten the mood in the room and it worked a little but she also knew that they were all waiting for answers. "That's what I get for going running in the dark. Basically ran headlong into a tree branch that was overhanging on the sidewalk." She shook her head with a bit of shame, a blush rising in her face with embarrassment. Spike and Sam both broke out with huge smiles as they thought about what the incident must have looked like, both of them poking a bit of fun at her before she gave them a death glare. Wordy had nodded and gone back to his stationary bike but Jules was acutely aware of his eyes on her back. She turned to head into the locker room, her heart still racing as she tried to control her breathing.

It was times like this that she was glad her sniping skills and her negotiating skills meshed so nicely. As a sniper she was able to control her breathing and her posture, she would never physically look like she was stressed or lying; as a negotiator she could control her voice and her expression, carefully making sure that the small muscles in her face didn't give away any alternative truth behind her words. She knew exactly what to say and she knew how to say it...almost too well. She hated lying to her teammates, her friends, but she couldn't let them know what had happened. It was so stupid, so insignificant, so embarrassing.

The night had started out fine. Mark was the perfect gentleman; he pulled out her chair for her at the restaurant, listened closely when she spoke and really seemed engaged in the conversations they had, even the small talk, he'd insisted on paying for the dinner and on walking her home. He was some type of banker or money manager, Jules had tried to pay attention and take in the information but a checking account and a savings account was really all that made sense in her mind. They had laughed together, shared a bottle of nice wine, the dinner had really gone well. Though she wasn't looking for a relationship, she was starting to reconsider. He had offered his coat to her for the walk home. A small gesture that she usually would have turned down but she was chilly and it felt nice to be treated as a woman. She resented it if any of the guys ever changed something for her, she was just as good, just as strong as any member of the team and she'd proven in, but in the process she also lost a part of herself. She'd lost a part of the femininity that she did cherish even if she didn't embrace it.

She finished tying her hair back in a tight french braid as she closed her locker and glanced in the mirror. With her hair up the bruise on her face was even more pronounced but she refused to wear her hair down at work. She took a few breaths to steel herself against what she was sure would be another round of mocking from Sam and Spike, but it was better than telling them the truth. She was sure that she wouldn't live down her running into a tree branch story but she couldn't deal with the idea that they would see her as weak, she would never be able to build up her image or their trust again if she let them know the truth. So she walked out of her locker room with a smile and took her seat in the briefing room between Sam and Ed, already seeing the smiles on both of their faces.

"They told you, didn't they?" She asked knowingly in the direction of Ed and Greg. Ed nodded, trying to contain his laughter.

"Remember that time I fell down the stairs?" Ed asked as Spike nearly choked on the water he was drinking.

"Who doesn't?" He asked with a laugh as Ed shot him a joking glare.

"Well, now we're all even." He said as he smiled and laughed a bit.

"You okay, Jules?" Greg asked. She nodded before he even finished the question.

"I'm fine, Sarge. It was just a stupid mistake." She blushed again as he nodded. After a moment, Greg started his briefing and Jules relaxed ever so slightly. She partially listened to what Greg was saying but mostly just tried to refocus herself. She couldn't get the thoughts out of her mind, replaying the night trying to figure out when things had gone wrong, when she should have seen the signs. Wordy's eyes kept roaming over towards Jules but he was trying not to let on. She saw it and it made her even more anxious. She thought that Greg and Ed would be the ones to grill her but after she got past that hurdle, she thought she'd be okay. Wordy though, she wouldn't have guessed that Wordy would be the suspicious one.

"Okay guys, so let's start with some close quarters work." Greg said, dismissing them to the mats. Jules hated practicing close quarters combat. She could shoot as well (if not better than) most of the team, she could negotiate, she could do the technological stuff, but flipping a man double her weight, two times her height was always a challenge. She was strong, no doubts that she could take someone down if she needed to, but against the rest of the SRU guys, all of them trained in close quarters as well, it was always a challenge.

"Let's pair up." Ed called out over the gym as they broke off into groups. Jules had hoped to snag Spike, though he was just as competent and strong as the other guys, he was smaller and Jules would have had an easier time practicing with him; unfortunately Sam and he were in a constant competition and they'd paired up quickly. Ed and Greg were on one side of the room looking over a file, probably planning on joining in once the paperwork was done, so that left Wordy. _Of course, the biggest guy and the close quarters expert. _She smiled as they met in the middle of the room and he explained briefly about what they would be working on. She listened closely to his instructions.

"Okay, so usually we get the jump on the subjects but it's good to practice some counter moves incase you get into a bind." Wordy started. "So Sam, put Spike in a mock sleeper hold." Wordy moved over towards them and helped position them so that Sam was behind Spike with his arms loosely wrapped around his neck. "Good, now Spike, put your leg like that," Wordy repositioned him a bit and told him what to do. "Then you'd kick out his right knee and throw him off balance that way you have a second to get the upper hand." They went through the motions a few more times, Spike gently raising his foot to the crook in Sam's knee instead of kicking it out before Wordy told them to switch and he moved a few feet away with Jules.

"So, you want to turn around?" He instructed as she took a breath and turned her back to him. She didn't know what happened, what her brain was doing, but the moment Wordy's arms wrapped around her shoulders something snapped in her mind. She wasn't in the gym surrounded by her friends and team, she was at her doorstep a hand meeting her face in a hard slap as she denied him entry; a hand wrapping around her neck. And she reacted with full force. Wordy was shocked by the speed of the moves as he felt a sharp elbow in his ribs and his right knee kicked out from under him, a pain like no other shooting up his leg as he felt his kneecap move out of place and his body falling towards the mats.

There was silence for an instant as Jules came back to reality and everyone else tried to figure out what was happening. Wordy let out a low groan of pain as he bit his lip and Jules backed away, shame and panic mixing as Ed and Greg ran over to Wordy's side. Words jumbled together as everyone moved and began to react and follow order.

"Stay still, Wordy." Ed spoke softly before raising his gaze and looking at Spike and Sam. "First aid kit." He said simply as Spike turned to grab one. "Tell Winnie to direct calls to Team Three for now." Sam nodded and ran off towards the Communication's Desk. Greg had been kneeling down by Wordy, trying to keep him from getting up as Ed turned his glare on Jules. "What the hell was that?" He asked harshly, not really expecting or wanting an answer as he pushed Wordy gently down by his shoulders. "Stay down, Wordy." He said more firmly. Jules didn't say anything as Ed and Greg both turned towards her. She didn't trust herself to say anything without losing it. She felt the tears in her eyes, the pain resurfacing in her face where she felt the bruise almost burned into her skin. She locked her jaw shut and shook her head before turning her back and heading towards the door of the gym.

"Wordy, what are you doing?" This time it was Greg's voice, frustration and concern evident. She heard him taking ragged breaths mixed with sharp inhalations that showed he was in pain, even if he didn't want to admit it, but he still sat up despite Greg and Ed's gentle commands.

"I'm good, I'm good. Just got the breath knocked out of me." Spike and Sam returned to the room as he smiled and nodded towards Jules. "Who said you can't take down a guy twice your size? Nice job." Ed rolled his eyes as Wordy insisted on trying to get up, babying his knee. He hopped around in a circle for a while using Ed as a crutch before slowly beginning to limp without support.

"I'm good." He repeated in his typical soft spoken confidence, obviously not convincing Greg or Ed. "Really." He said with a bit of a smile. "Want me to flip you to prove it, Ed?" Greg couldn't help but crack a small smile as Ed shook his head.

"That won't be necessary, Wordy." He said with a steely voice. "If we get a call you're in the truck, no debate." He was firm as Wordy nodded, knowing that he wouldn't really be chasing anyone down.

As the room descended into silence, all eyes fell on Jules again. Her heart was still racing as she went through the moments in her mind. She had known it was Wordy, she had hurt Wordy, but her mind and her body just couldn't get Mark's hands out of her memory. She felt the bruise on her face burning as her wrist ached. He was much worse off than she was. When he'd slapped her she was shocked for a moment and for that instant he had the upper hand. The guys didn't realize that last night she'd done the very same move and then some, definitely messing up Mark's knee and probably breaking his wrist when she twisted free of his grip. He was much worse for the ware than she was but the incident had shaken her, obviously much worse than she had realized.

"I...I'm so sorry Wordy." She said softly, not trusting her voice for much longer a sentence. "I don't know what happened. I just...reacted." She shrugged, knowing the explanation was not even close to sufficient.

"It's fine Jules, I get it." Wordy answered before Ed could get a word in edgewise. Jules sensed it in the his tone of voice that he knew more than he was letting on but he didn't say anything else, he just gave Ed a look not to pursue it any further. There was an awkward silence again in the room as Ed alternating glaring at Wordy and Jules, Spike and Sam stood in the corner not sure what to say, and Greg rubbed his temples.

"Let's just take it easy the rest of the day." Greg broke the silence and nodded to himself. "Spike, maybe you could update us on that new operating system you installed in the truck." He offered as Spike's face lit up.

"I thought you'd never ask, Sarge." Spike smiled and started going on about his computers, Jules finally feeling like it was safe to let out a shuttering breath. She lagged behind the others a bit as Ed stayed near Wordy to support him if needed. Greg was not so subtly keeping an eye on Jules and Wordy but he didn't say anything more as Spike started to click around a screen and show them different search parameters, going a mile a minute, needing to be reminded to slow down a bit.

The day seemed to drag on even though it was a short shift. Jules felt hyper-aware of every word and every move that the team made around her. Every glance seemed longer, more intense, every word seemed to have a specific double meaning. She knew that she was over thinking and over analyzing but she couldn't help it. All day it felt like her pulse was racing in her ears, the blood rushing in her brain as the pumping sound resonated deeply in her body, grounding her in the simplest of needs. _Just breathe._ It was the one thought that she allowed to run through her mind as she desperately grasped onto something to keep her calm. All she needed was the oxygen to course through her veins, one more breath was one breath closer to this day being over, one breath closer to locking herself in her house and (hopefully) getting a nice long sleep to make up for the insomnia and adrenaline of the prior night.

Like all things though, the shift finally ended and Jules nearly made a sprint into the women's locker room. She knew that she wouldn't be safe there for long. The guys were probably mid-changing right now and she only had a few minutes to get in and get out before someone started staking out the entrance of her locker room. She knew that she wouldn't hold up under Greg's gentle questioning or Ed's intense glare right now and the last thing she wanted to see was Sam's cute smile and baby blue eyes. No, she needed to get out before they even had time to think about cutting her off. She changed quickly, not bothering to shower, before grabbing her back and sneaking off to her car.

She felt herself relaxing as the elevator doors closed to take her to the parking garage. She knew that she couldn't let her guard down yet but she at least let her posture slump a bit and her eyes close for a moment. She was exhausted. Between the lack of sleep and the physically and emotionally draining day she was ready for a long shower followed by a long sleep but she nearly froze as she approached her car. It took everything that she had to smile and not run away when she saw Wordy leaning against her jeep, his arms crossed as he put almost all his weight on his left leg. His right knee was tightly bandaged to hold back some of the swelling but Jules could still see the inflammation building around the wrap. She didn't realize that she'd stopped breathing as he saw the knowing look on his face; it wasn't just confidence, it was true knowing.

"Hey," He said softly as he put his hands in his pockets and she forced a smile back onto her face.

"Hey." She mirrored, waiting for him to speak. He looked at her for a long time, almost looking through her it seemed, before shrugging.

"Ed said he didn't want me driving with my knee screwed up. I told him I'd call Shelly but I wanted to talk to you." He paused for a moment as Jules nodded, her heart in her throat.

"I'll drive you, Wordy." She said firmly as she unlocked the doors and motioned for him to get in the passenger side. "I'm really sorry about this morning." She said, almost a pleading quality in her voice. She needed to hear him accept her apology, needed to know that they were okay. He nodded but bit his lip.

"We gotta talk, Jules." He said softly but in a tone that left no room for argument. She knew that there would be no avoiding the conversation but at the very least she wanted to do it on her own terms.

"You up for coming to my place, having a beer or something?" She asked, already knowing the answer before he nodded. The short ride was silent as Jules tried to gauge how much Wordy really knew and how much she was willing to give up. She knew that the tree excuse wasn't going to work but she wondered if there was some other way of telling the story just so he'd let her take him home and they'd all let the topic drop. As they pulled into her driveway Jules helped Wordy out of the car and up the front steps.

"Sorry about the mess, I'm still priming a wall in the kitchen." She said as she moved paint brushes off the couch and threw them onto a table. He looked around the room and saw that another wall was painted since he'd last been in the house.

"No problem, looks like you're making some headway." He remarked as it seemed half of the living room was finished with molding and shelves on the wall.

"Getting there." She added as she handed him a beer. He took a small sip but it was obviously just to be polite as he set it down on the table and looked at her with his soft eyes.

"Jules," He started softly, a tone of concern in his voice as he looked at her with expecting eyes. "what happened in the gym this morning?" She thought her heart was going to explode. Greg's knowing looks and Ed's hard glares were nothing compared to Wordy's gentle persistence, his obvious care. It emanated off his body, the desire to stop pain and alleviate burden was what drove him. She shook her head slightly and took another sip of her beer before answering.

"I don't know Wordy, I just reacted. I'm really sorry about hurting you." She was obviously guilty and she wouldn't look directly at him.

"I told you Jules, I'm fine and...I get what you mean about just reacting but the thing is, you've never done that before. I mean you just never do anything without thinking, you're always thinking before you do something." He paused a moment and let the words sink in. "I don't think you do anything inadvertently..." There was a catch in his voice and Jules could tell that he was debating whether or not to say something. "and I know that you don't run on the left side of the road." His voice was even softer as she felt her mind reel.

_Left side of the road...the bruise is on the left side of my face. Damn, I run on the right side, I grilled Spike for that...maybe I could say it was in the park...no I already said it was on the road didn't I? Can't contradict myself...you're taking too long Jules, think! _

"Jules," He spoke even more gently as he leaned forward a little bit and looked directly in her eyes. "You get a bruise like that from someone right handed hitting you." He was trying to keep his voice calm, hating the fact that he was this knowledgeable, that he was having this conversation again. She looked at him with wide eyes, not sure what to say. The pause was too long and she knew that there was no disputing now that she was hiding something. She took a long sip of her beer, finishing off the bottle.

"Want another?" She asked, knowing that he'd barely taken two sips. He shook his head as she nodded. She smiled, hoping that maybe she could turn the exchange into a joke.

"Well, he looks a hell of a lot worse than I do." She did her best to break the serious tone but Wordy wasn't having it.

"I don't doubt it." He was still in his gentle persistence as silence fell between them again. He let the silence remain though, knowing that Jules would fill it at some point. She couldn't let the quiet continue, she had to find out what Wordy knew and somehow redeem herself in his eyes.

"It was a one time thing, Wordy. I had a really stupid lapse of judgment and trust me, it's not going to happen again." She tried to wave it off as something small but Wordy didn't speak. He looked at her with a sad smile, obviously listening intently, waiting for something more.

"I didn't even want to go out. My neighbor two doors down had a friend and she had a friend who had a cousin...hell I don't even know anymore." She shrugged and bit her lip. Wordy nodded but still didn't say anything, keeping his eyes on her's.

"Come on Wordy...please say something." She tried to keep the tone joking but the pleading quality of her voice was coming across. He kept his gaze fixed on her's for a moment before nodding slightly.

"Okay," He said softly as he bit his lip. "First of all, maybe you had a 'lapse of judgment,'" He motioned quotes as he used his words, not really liking them. "but none of this is your fault. You got that?" He saw her take a breath as if to protest but he cut her off. "This is not your fault." He said again, a little more firmly as she reluctantly nodded. While rationally she couldn't blame herself for what had happened, rationality didn't necessarily dictate emotions and guilt.

"Second of all," He stared, again gentle but with a tinge of hurt in his voice. "Why didn't you tell us?" The question ripped through Jules as another whip of guilt hit her.

"What was I supposed to say Wordy?" She asked calmly, trying to show how impossible the conversation would have been. "That I got the bruise from a blind date gone wrong?" He was shaking his head, knowing it wasn't that easy to dodge this bullet.

"You could have called us, any one of us, anytime. You know that Jules. You could have called me last night, this morning...you lied to us about it."

"I'm sorry about lying this morning I just...I couldn't face you guys if you knew..." She was almost whispering, knowing that the logic that had seemed so flawless this morning now seemed childish.

"Jules, you might have tried to hide it but did you really think that we wouldn't find out?" He asked, a bit confused. "I mean, an hour into the shift you nearly dislocated my knee." He smiled a bit but kept his tone soft.

"I'm really sorry about that, Wordy-"

"Stop apologizing, Jules." He somehow seemed to find a tone between firm and gentle as he leaned forward a bit. "I told you before, this isn't your fault and you don't have anything to apologize for." She again looked like she was going to rebut his opinion but she held her tongue. "So...? " Wordy said expectantly after a moment of silence. Jules gave him a quizzical look.

"So..." She said, stretching the syllable not sure what to say.

"So, tell me what really happened." He said in his characteristic soft spoken voice but with no room for arguing.

"Wordy, it was a one time screw up." She said, trying to convince him that it wasn't worth fleshing out the details. She still had some of her dignity intact and she didn't want anyone to know the whole story; she wasn't sure she was up for reliving the whole story.

"You're damn right it was a one time thing." He said with firm confidence before adding. "Spill." She took a few deep breaths, trying to figure out how to relay the details but also appear not to be shaken by the incident.

"Well, I met him...Mark...at the restaurant." She recited in a detached tone. "We ate and talked, he offered to walk me home and I accepted. Um...he tried to follow me in but I told him I had to work early. He...he wasn't happy and he hit me." She took a sip of her beer, needing a moment to breathe and collect herself, feeling weak as she not only relayed the details but also still got shaken by them. She felt her heart pounding as she avoided looking at Wordy. "And he was behind me and um... well I'm fairly sure I dislocated his knee and I probably broke his wrist when I twisted free of his grip." She took a breath and looked up, still not looking directly at Wordy, not able to face him. After a long moment of silence though, she couldn't help but glance at him.

He was obviously angry but trying hard to control it. His hands were in fists by his sides and his lips closed tightly as he took breaths through his nose. He softened after a moment when he realized that Jules was looking at him closely. He took another breath before looking at her straight in the eye.

"And he didn't..." He bit his lip as he seemed to be fighting with the words. "There was nothing else? The bastard hit you but he didn't..." Jules understood what he was alluding to and shook her head quickly, not trusting herself to speak. She didn't even know what she would have done if things had gone farther, if he'd somehow overpowered her and things had gotten out of her control. Wordy looked at her for a long moment, making sure that she was being honest, before nodding. "Okay," He said softly, nodding with a reassuring look. "Thanks for being honest with me, Jules. I know it must be really hard for you to think about it and talk about it." She nodded as he went and took another sip of his beer. "I think you should talk to the boss, or Ed." He was immediately met with her firmly shaking head and her rebuttals.

"No way in hell." She said firmly, a tinge of fear in her voice. He went to say something but Jules spoke over him. "No Wordy. No one else can know about this." He let her calm down for a moment before speaking softly.

"Why?" The single syllable resonated in the room and pierced Jules' brain. "Why can't anyone else know, Jules? No one is going to think of you any differently, you know that no one will blame you for this." After a long silence he spoke again. "Jules, if he almost got the drop on you, if he shook you up this much that you don't even trust your best friends anymore, imagine what he's going to do with the next woman who doesn't invite him in." Wordy spoke softly, almost in a whisper, hating to pull the guilt card on Jules but knowing that it needed to be done. He saw her eyes a bit glassy but she refused to let it show as she collected their empty bottles and walked into the kitchen. When she returned to the living room her eyes were dry but her face was a bit flushed.

"You okay?" He asked softly as he moved a bit closer to her. She nodded but seemed reluctant.

"Yeah." She wouldn't look directly at him as she shook her head. "You just don't get it though Wordy. You don't know how hard I worked to get to the SRU and how much my job means to me. Reporting this...everyone will think that I'm weak, it'll just be another reason for people to think that women shouldn't be in SRU." Wordy looked at her curiously.

"You think that people will see you as weak?" He asked, surprise in his tone. She nodded as he smiled. "Jules, you fought the guy off...that's not weak, that's demonstrating your strength." She was shaking her head again.

"I should be able to handle this on my own. I shouldn't be flashing back and taking it out on you in training and I should just be able to get past this." She said in a firm, detached tone.

"Because you're superwoman and you never told us?" Wordy said with a bit of a smile. "Jules, you do so much on your own and you're so strong but sometimes true strength is knowing when to ask for help." She seemed to think about what he was saying for a long time before nodding.

"I don't know if I can do this myself." Her voice was soft, tears in her eyes again as Wordy placed a gentle hand on her knee.

"Then let me help." He said passionately. "Let me come with you back to the station and help you get a report going." She blinked a few tears away before nodding. "It'll help Jules, trust me."

Trust. It was something that she didn't do much of. She had almost forgotten how to rely on other people since she'd broken up with Sam. Vulnerable wasn't something she was good at but she also knew that, with Wordy and the team helping her through, she wouldn't be there forever.

"Okay, let's go."

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><p><em>I hate the way this turned out. I don't know why I am so stuck with my stories. I was a few pages into a Sam story I was really looking forward to and I just couldn't do it; then this took two weeks and I really hate the way it turned out. I feel like I had to write a Jules story and I wanted to keep it in character but I loved this idea. I don't know, tell me what you think and hopefully I'll get back on track soon. And I hate the ending of this, and the middle, I'm just going to stop talking now, just don't take this as an example of my usual work, ugh.<em>

_Also, if you're on facebook, check out "Flashpoint Team One." It's a page run directly by the producers so we get up to date info as well as exclusive behind the scenes photos, contests and giveaways, and awesome discussions with fellow fans._


	2. Chapter 2

Vulnerable-Chapter 2

_It's been a really long time for me writing and for this story. This one still isn't one of my favorites but it's probably the one I've seen most requested to be continued and I figure I owe it to all the great people who continue to review these old stories. It's been nearly two years since I wrote the original so give me a little leeway here and I hope you enjoy. I still don't own Flashpoint and I would still love to hear from you._

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><p>It had been a long night. Jules and Wordy had gone back to the station but she had insisted that they couldn't go to the main station, the one that SRU was housed in, for fear of having to interact with the same detectives she had to work with and see everyday. They had ended up at the smaller, local station to report the assault but Jules still wasn't happy about being there. She was convinced by Wordy's rationalization and tried to keep the thought in her mind that this was for all the other women who might be victimized by that man...that scumbag but she still hesitated every step of the way. Wordy had stayed with her when he was allowed, been the calming presence and her pillar of support and almost four hours after they had sat down in her living room she was finally dropping him off at his home.<p>

He had insisted that she stay for dinner saying that his girls were asking about her and that they wanted to show her their new dollhouse castle; Jules knew that it was a thinly veiled attempt to make sure that she didn't go home to her empty home to wallow in her self-pity all night but she took the bait. She actually did enjoy herself when she was playing with Wordy's three little girls, innocent and blind to all the tension between the adults. Shelly had immediately known what had happened when she saw the bruise on Jules' face but she knew enough not to say anything at the moment. She put two and two together and realized that her husband had probably done enough talking for both of them but when she and Jules were alone in the kitchen gathering the dishes Shelly offhandedly mentioned that she was always available to talk if Jules ever needed it; the implicit message being that she had been there and knew what it was like to have your world swept from beneath your feet.

But now, as she drove back into work the next morning she wasn't sure where she stood or what to do. She had made Wordy swear that no one would find out about the true origin of her bruises. It had taken a lot of convincing, not because he wanted to tell someone but because he kept insisting that she had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of and she disagreed. They had spent a solid part of the car ride from the police station to Wordy's house in debate about what the worst case scenario of the team finding out would be, how people would realistically react, and even though she knew that Wordy was right and that her friends would rally around her and respect her for fighting the guy off, she couldn't bring herself to being okay with them knowing. They already treated her differently, even if they didn't realize it. She could do every single thing every man on the team could do and in training she did. In the field though, on calls, she was realizing more and more that she was information gathering, interviewing witnesses, negotiating, doing anything but aggressive take-downs for the most part. There were exceptions, of course, and there were benefits to her serving her roles, witnesses felt more comfortable around her, Greg couldn't negotiate a rape victim off a ledge as efficiently, her profiling was impeccable, but she still knew that there was a difference.

_Maybe they're right._ She considered as she got out of her car and jogged up the stairs, her normal pre-work out work out. _Maybe I'm not cut out for the job in the same way that the guys are._ She almost quivered at the thought as all of Wordy's words about her worth came rushing back to her. She did her job well, all of her job and all of the requirements but she couldn't deny that her confidence was shaken.

She had specifically made sure to get in early that way she could work off some of the tension and stress that she felt in her body before the others came in. No one would really think twice about Jules being early or getting into her workout and she was glad when the guys filtered into the guy without much more conversation other than hellos. When Wordy walked in she felt her heart skip a beat as he smiled and gave a subtle nod hello before heading over to the treadmill. Jules vigorously pedaled her exercise bike trying to lose herself and escape her racing thoughts. She knew without a doubt that Wordy wasn't thinking any differently of her but her mind still wandered to all the possibilities. _What if he told Ed or the Boss? What if he lets something slip? _She shook her head, physically trying to clear her mind of the thoughts as she switched to a treadmill. She didn't see Greg come in and didn't realize he was beside her treadmill until he was motioning for her to take her earbuds out.

"Jules, when you get a minute could we talk in the briefing room?" Greg asked with his normal smile. She nodded before slowing her treadmill and stepping off, taking a quick detour to the water cooler to get a cup. It was a completely plausible action but it was really just a cover for her to take a moment to collect herself and stop her heart's pounding. She was operating on autopilot as she walked slowly into the briefing room, the sweat from her workout mixing with the beads that were forming on her forehead as Greg looked up from a file he was working on and motioned for her to take a seat. Jules was tense in her chair, her hands folded before her as she quickly went into her negotiator persona and hid all the emotion she could from her face. "I didn't get a chance to finish up the report from the call earlier this week until now and I just realized that I don't have your evaluation of the subject's mental state..." Greg said glancing up from the papers scattered before him and pausing before putting his pen down. "You okay, Jules?" He asked with masked concern in his voice.

"Fine, Boss." She said quickly taking a breath, relieved that he needed her for work purposes and quickly moving on before he could ask any more questions. "The call with the attempted suicide, Pierce, right?" She asked, not waiting for an answer before speaking more. "Um...he seemed to be uninhibited by drugs or alcohol. He appeared hyper-active, manic...difficult to communicate with, difficult to refocus. Negotiations were doomed from the start, especially paired with his skepticism and mistrust of authority. I think the non-lethal intervention was the best we could have done in the situation." She rambled off the facts of the call that she remembered, all the while distracted by her desire to get out of the room as soon as possible. Greg nodded after a moments pause.

"I agree but I really wanted your opinion on this one; thanks Jules." Greg said with his go to smile but this time there was something more behind it and Jules found herself tensing again. "You okay, Jules?" She went to speak and automatically assure him that she was fine but he preempted her. "And I mean for real here. You know you can tell me anything and you know that I can tell that something is up the past few days. What's going on?" Greg seemed to be able to perfectly mix being stern and being caring and Jules felt her heart pounding in her chest again. It grew harder to control her face and her body as she felt her fingers shake ever so slightly. She tried to take subtle sniper breaths to even her reactions but Greg caught her and gave her a look mixed with genuine curiosity, concern, and that communicated she wasn't going to get anything by him right now.

"Boss, I really appreciate the concern but I'm okay. I obviously had a bad day yesterday but I'm good now." Jules tried to level with Greg, admit that she was out of character earlier but also attempted to redirect his attention to today and defer the discussion until she could prove herself competent and focused again. He nodded slowly before closing the file and leaning back in his chair.

"I trust you Jules, I just hope you can trust me if you want to talk about whatever was or is going on." The implication that Greg felt as if Jules didn't trust him stung her, even if it wasn't meant to. She genuinely believed that Sarge was done with his questioning and just wanted to make himself open to her for any further conversation but something about the conversation made her feel dirty. She didn't lie to Greg...outright lie at least...but she still felt wrong, like she was being manipulative of her friend's trust in her. "Jules?" Greg asked from across the table. She hadn't realized that she had gotten lost in her thoughts while she and Greg were still in the room.

"Sorry, Boss." She said as she got up with the intention of going to the locker room but felt something compelling her not to leave. When she was around Greg and Wordy and all the guys she felt so at peace with herself and so supported and loved. How could she maintain that if she kept this secret for fear of losing their respect? She didn't know what she was doing, deciding to let her gut guide her actions as she quickly turned back around and faced the briefing room. Greg looked up from his paperwork with an inquisitive gaze but she spoke before he could say anything. "Boss, I made a stupid decision to let my neighbor set me up on a blind date and the guy ended up being a bastard. He tried to follow me into my house with some obvious intentions that I was not interested in, he hit me, and I fought him off. I filed a report last night." She took a deep breath and stood between the doorway and the table, not quite sure if she wanted to run away or sit down.

"Thank you for telling me, Jules. That must have been hard for you to deal with but I'm really glad that you told me." Jules was a little surprised at Greg's seeming lack of an emotional reaction, he was personally vested and friendly with his teammates and he wasn't one to be distant. Jules' confusion must have shown on her face as Greg pulled another file from his stack. "Jules, I'm your commanding officer...when there's an officer involved incident, no matter if we're on scene or on our own time, I get a copy." He explained, seemingly a bit guilty about his deception and secrecy in the matter.

"You knew?" She asked quietly, trying to process this new information.

"Yeah, Jules. I found out when the report hit my desk this morning. Gotta say it though, I'm a little confused why I didn't know it yesterday when we asked you about the bruise or that night when you broke the asshole's wrist and fractured one of his ribs?" Jules felt another pang of guilt but then curiosity.

"How do you know about his injuries?"

"I called in a favor this morning and they picked him up." Greg was trying to read Jules' face but saw a mix of emotions. "Jules, I read the report and I'm impressed..." He smiled at her. "but I've never seen you act ashamed of your fighting ability. Did something happen that's not in the report?" He asked as gently as he could but needing to ask the question.

"No." She answered firmly and quickly and Greg could tell she was being honest. He nodded.

"Then why the secrets and the stuff yesterday with Wordy?" He got up and moved to the other side of the table, a few chairs away from her but still giving them a bit of distance. "Why didn't you think you could tell us?" He asked a tone of concern and a hint of guilt.

"I knew that I could tell you guys and you would all be great and supportive but...I guess I just didn't want to lose anyone's respect. I didn't want anyone wondering about my ability to take care of myself in the field or otherwise." She spoke strongly. Any emotion that she had while speaking about the incident with Wordy was gone now. Greg nodded.

"Jules I think it's impossible for us to think less of you with all of the accomplishments you have. Not to mention you've proven time and time again you can not only handle yourself in any situation but you've got your teammates backs."

"That's what Wordy said last night..." Jules mused aloud. At Greg's slightly confused expression she explained, "Wordy saw past all the lies and knew what happened. He's the one that convinced me to file a report." He nodded again and leaned forward.

"I can tell you're not convinced." Greg laughed a bit as Jules smiled, her recognition of his words without actually confirming them. "You remember when Spike and Lou got into that bar fight...ohh...had to be four or five years ago?" It took her a moment but Greg saw the memory dawn on her face. "They were outnumbered and the guys who started it apparently had it out for them since they sat down. You remember Spike the week after when he was cleared to come back?"

"Mild concussion, cuts and really ugly bruises all on his face and up and down his arms?" She asked, remembering vividly how the then rookie bowed his head in shame of his battle scars. "Pretty sure that's when Ed started pushing the close quarters training." Greg nodded.

"Do you remember what I told Spike that day?" She didn't. She remembered Ed and Wordy good-naturedly poking fun at Spike and Lou as they went through the different close quarters moves but mostly just to break the tension. She remembered offering Spike help with covering up the worst of the bruises so his mother would think he was healing faster. She remembered him sleeping on Lou's couch for a week to escape the constant, well intentioned but overbearingness, of his mother. But she didn't remember what Greg said.

"I told him that we were a team and a family. Our good days were everyone's good days and our bad days were burdens shared by everyone. I told him that we trusted him with our lives no matter how beat up he got and that we would always have his back as long as he would let us." He paused for a moment. "Jules, as long as you let us have your back, as long as you trust us with your life, we will always do the same no matter what. You will not lose anyone's respect if someone temporarily gets the upper hand on you, just let us be there for you like we'd want you there for us."

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><p><em>Kind of abrupt ending but you got another chapter so that's a good thing, right? This chapter is kind of long and feels kind of disjointed since I wrote it slowly when I had time but I really hope it was the follow up that people were looking for. Like I've said a million times, I don't really like writing Jules and I feel like I made her a little too weak throughout this but let me know, leave me a review. Thanks so much for the read!<em>


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